Overall a very disappointing experience. I was contacted by a recruiter in response to an application I submitted and went through two rounds of phone interviews and then a take-home assignment that I was asked to complete. I had barely returned it when I was contacted for a face-to-face interview, which at the time made me wonder how much time they had actually spent going over my completed assignment.

I spent two days before the interview carefully going over the company history, preparing some talking points, researching ways I could contribute, and doing all the things we’re supposed to do before an interview. I even brought along some additional samples of my work to show them how I had contributed similarly in past jobs. The interview was a five-hour marathon where I was mostly pumped for information (“What are you seeing other companies doing? What kinds of things do you think companies should be doing now”) instead of asked about my experiences and achievements. The hiring manager even read from a list of standard interview questions ("What's your biggest weakness?") that made me feel as though we were just going through the motions vs. trying to learn about my background and skills.

Two days after I completed the interview, I got a rejection. The timing seemed particularly suspicious given that in order to have made a selection in such time, the company would have had to discuss the various candidates for the position, decide on which one merited an offer, extend the offer, and then have that offer accepted all within 48 hours. Either this place moves faster than any other company I’ve ever seen or - more likely - they had someone in mind for the position all along and just wanted to go through the motions with me & if possible, use me for market intelligence.

Overall, I wasted a great deal of time and resources – including some decent photocopying expenses for the samples I prepared – for a job that was more likely than not already filled when I applied. Not a good experience and not a place I would recommend.

I applied online. The process took 1+ week – interviewed at ESI International in January 2012.

Interview Details

They were all very nice people. I was contact the day after I submitted my resume and asked to submit writing samples using a provided prompt. I submitted the samples, then was scheduled for an interview. I had four 1:1 interviews in the same day. Everyone seemed to really take to me, so I thought I had a pretty good shot. A few days later, I was called in for another round of interviews, this time with higher levels of upper management. One told me he thought I would do great, and to expect to hear from them within a week. The next day, I got an email saying they were looking to hire someone with a different educational background. I was a bit dumbfounded, because my degree and major/minor are clearly stated on my resume. I spent a total of 9 hours over those two days in the office for interviews, waste of time. Not very considerate at all.

Interview Questions

How would you pitch ESI's services? What attracts you to marketing?Answer Question

I applied online. The process took a week – interviewed at ESI International in August 2011.

Interview Details

HR people is nice and welling to help. She can answer all my questions. There are 2 interviewers. They are nice and patient. Most interview questions are behavior questions. They go through resume with me and ask me about previous working experiences in accounting fields. The company looks good. It is better to prepare some questions to ask them.

Glassdoor has 12 interview reports and interview questions from people who interviewed for jobs at ESI International. Interview reviews are posted anonymously by ESI International interview candidates and employees.